Let me introduce myself. My name is Bruce Muirhead. I was born and raised in Coronado. I moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1967 before the bridge was built. In the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s I grew up with the San Diego and Coronado Ferryboats! The ferryboat was our transportation to St. Augustine High School in San Diego, and later to San Diego State. Yes, that accounted for a lot of round trips, and that was just for school!
I have some artifacts from the San Diego Ferryboat in my backyard in Danville, CA. I still hold out hope that there is an organization or individual that feels one or more of them have some historical value and should be preserved.
The Ferry was “discovered” as a derelict in the Sacramento Delta in 2009. From then until it’s dismantling and encounter with the wrecking ball in 2012, I worked with Joe Ditler, noted Coronado historian, and the State of California Lands Commission to save something from destruction. At the time, we felt lucky that we could recover some artifacts.
There is a wealth of information available about this epoch in eCoronado articles written by Joe. They include both photos and video of that short, sad history. Please see the following articles:
Expedition Underway to Document Last Days of Ferryboat San Diego 1/15/12
Marked for Demolition – End of the Ferryboat San Diego 2/20/12
https://coronadotimes.com/profiles/blogs/end-of-the-ferryboat-san-202012833
Ferryboat San Diego Meets Dramatic End 3/23/12
Next Steps
Over the years we have tried to generate an interest in the artifacts. Could one or more somehow be incorporated into the Coronado Gateway or perhaps the Ferry Booth Restoration Projects? Perhaps in city parks, maybe at a permanent roundabout such as the one at Pomona Avenue, Adella Avenue, and Seventh Street, perhaps in a museum exhibit at the Coronado Historical Association (CHA).
Because the ferry system was such an integral part of Coronado for so many years, I believe that there is value in these artifacts and that they should be preserved.
Some organizations that should have an interest include:
- City of Coronado
- Coronado Historical Association
- Coronado Library
- Unified Port of San Diego
Perhaps there is a possibility for a grassroots movement of some kind? I guess we’ll wait and see. It seems such a shame to auction them off on eBay or just scrap them myself.
The Artifacts
See them below:
- Two 20-foot navigational poles
- Two eight-foot, 500-pound (?) ventilation funnels from the upper deck
- A support column from inside the passenger deck
- A railing post from the outer passenger deck area
- One mooring cleat from the main deck bow
- Two life boat davit blocks
Lifeboat Davit Block
What Others Have Done
In my travels, I’ve seen some examples of what others have done with a cleat or a funnel.
In Winter Harbor, Maine, they display a sculpture design of a cleat in their bay. See below.
In the Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin, IL they display a funnel at a memorial to a WWII ship. See below.
I sincerely hope that there is enough interest to preserve one or more of these artifacts to be able to share with our future generations.
Bruce Muirhead
388 Borica Dr.
Danville, CA 94526
925.786.1758
